During this Lenten season, which for the second year in a row happens in the midst of a pandemic, I am striving to consider how to respond to the Ash Wednesday invitation to self-examination and repentance. How do I do that?
There are many voices I deeply respect who are saying that we have been in a constant Lent for a year now due to the pandemic, so no need to do anything for the 40 days of Lent. There are days when I agree with that, and there are days when I totally disagree. Today is one of those days when I disagree. Of course, tomorrow may be different. But from where I am today, I still believe this Lenten season invites me to something more.
I’ve engaged recently with the following story told by Richard Rohr:
Over 20 years ago, I was giving several retreats in India. While there, I became very sick from some food I had eaten. A young Hindu boy was put in charge of me, caring for me until I was nursed back to health. He waited on me day and night, making sure that my every need was met. As I lay in bed I wondered how a young man could come to such love, deeply caring for someone that he never knew. So one morning I asked him, “Who is God for you?” “Sir, I believe that whenever one person shows respect for another person, there is God.” It was clear to me…that in his respect for me, and I hope mine in him, that we both met God.
The line that strikes me is “whenever one person shows respect for another person, there is God.” I believe the respect being referred to by this Hindu boy is not just about being polite or showing good manners, but rather it is an entire attitude toward others that is transformative. I see how this pandemic has frayed so many people. As I watch and read the news, which mirrors our society, I sense a need for this kind of transformative respect for one another.
This Lent, I’m accepting the Ash Wednesday invitation to self-examination and repentance and striving to imitate that young Hindu boy.
– Fr. George
